1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a webbing guide device for use in seatbelt systems for protecting an occupant of a vehicle, and more particularly to a webbing guide device for moving an intermediate portion of a webbing for use in an automatic fastening type seatbelt system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been proposed so-called automatic fastening type seatbelt systems, in each of which an inner end of an occupant restraining webbing is engaged with the substantially central portion of the vehicle and an outer end thereof is engaged with a door of the vehicle, respectively, whereby the intermediate portion of the webbing is moved in the forward and rearward directions in the vehicle in accordance with the opening action of the door, so that the webbing can be automatically fastened to or unfastened from the occupant. In the seatbelt system as described above, it is preferable to provide a webbing guide device for moving the intermediate portion of the webbing forward to the vehicle during opening action of the vehicle door so as to further expand an interval between the webbing and an occupant seat.
The abovedescribed webbing guide device is of such an arrangement that the intermediate portion of the webbing is inserted through a guide ring provided at the forward end portion of an arm movable in the forward and rearward directions in the vehicle, whereby the arm is driven forward in the vehicle when door is opened.
However, the abovedescribed webbing guide device is mounted in a limited installation space among the occupant seat, a parking brake lever and a shift lever all of which are provided at substantially the central portion of the vehicle, thus preventing a disadvantage that the webbing guide device may contact a seat cushion of the occupant's seat and interfere with the moving path of the shift lever.